Sunday, December 13, 2015

LIFE: Accountability

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to have a healthy pregnancy. I mean, who doesn't? But by that I mean I did not want to be one of those women giving into a burger craving at 2 in the morning. I wanted to eat healthy and continue working out; not just for the health of my baby but also because I wanted to get my pre-baby body back as soon as possible. The maximum amount of weight I wanted to gain was 20 pounds, which was right at what would be considered a healthy amount for someone my size.

The first few weeks, I did great! I'm talking green smoothies, quinoa, you name it. And then came the "morning" sickness. I lost five pounds over the course of my first trimester because not only did the thought of most food make me sick, even the food I was able to eat I threw up. Once this subsided around 26 weeks, I was feeling great! I was able to eat again and return to the gym with my doctor's approval. I stayed more or less healthy food-wise. That said, if I wanted pizza rather than grilled chicken for dinner, I was going to have pizza. I didn't diet but ate the foods I wanted within reason. I also committed to going to the gym at least twice a week plus took our dog on 1+ mile walks on non-gym days.

And then came the third trimester. There was a point about midway through the trimester I just could not go to the gym anymore. And not just because people were starting to give me weird looks (has no one seen a pregnant woman work out before??) but because the time and effort it took for me to get to the gym just wasn't worth the crummier my workouts were getting; for example the time in which it took me to do a mile's worth of cardio pretty much doubled. I kept walking the dog and occasionally lifted some light dumbbells at home but that was it. Until about 35 weeks at which point even getting up from the couch was an effort!

Ultimately I gained about 30 pounds. Almost eight weeks after baby girl came, I am about 14 pounds from my pre-baby weight. I just received clearance from my doctor to start working out again, so no more excuses! I hit the gym yesterday for the first time in about three months and was positive it was going to be the worst workout of my life. But it wasn't. While definitely not back at my normal activity level, I was able to do a slightly below-average cardio workout. Next visit, I'll incorporate weights. As I am resuming my workouts, I also want to eat healthier--that way I can splurge a little on Christmas, etc without feeling guilty!

So here is my commitment:
-Gym twice a week (includes cardio and weight lifting)-would love to go three times but we'll see what's possible with a baby who's too young for the kids' center
-Free weights OR yoga once a week at home
-Walk baby girl and Tino weather permitting
-Follow adapted version of 21-day fix

What do I mean by "adapted version"?
-Instead of paying $80 for the containers & tutorials, I bought the containers off a local Facebook sale group for $10. I found the following helpful graphics on Pinterest.

﻿As it is the holiday season, I will not be sticking to this religiously. I will eat meals as directed by the charts but if I want a Christmas cookie, I'm having one. I will also take days off (dieting on Christmas? I don't think so.) I am also operating under the assumption I can have as much coffee as I want--to do otherwise means I would have no husband and no friends!

I do plan on updating the blog with my successes (or setbacks). I won't necessarily do that on a regular basis as that would bore you, but when I have sometime to report, I'll do so. My overall goal isn't necessarily to get back to the pre-baby number on the scale but rather to lose fat, gain and tone muscle, and have more energy for my baby and hubby! So until then, wish me luck!

"Today is going to be a great day. I can and i will." - Gina Rodriguez

About Me

The hubster of a year, myself, and our crazy dog moved to the Tacoma area in 2013 and absolutely LOVE it-hence the name of the blog! I'm a part time military wife who loves to decompress after a tough days' work by cooking, baking, decorating my new house, and playing with makeup among other things.